Nov. 1, 2016
RENO, Nev. - Nevada senior Jeremy Macauley was announced today as a nominated for the Burlsworth Trophy, given annually to the nation's top college football player who began his career as a walk-on.
Macauley, an offensive lineman from Reed High School in Sparks, walked on at Nevada in 2012. As a redshirt freshman in 2013, Macauley emerged to start 10 games and play in all 12 games that season for the Wolf Pack. Heading into this week's game at New Mexico Macauley has started 32 games in his career for the Union.
Macauley is one of five players in the Mountain West, and one of 52 players in the nation on the nominee list for the award. He carries a 3.3 grade-point average and will graduate in December with a double major of management and marketing.
The award is in its seven year and is named in honor of Brandon Burlsworth, a former University of Arkansas walk-on who became an All-American offensive lineman. Each nominee must have begun his first season of participation with an FBS football program without financial aid of any kind from his university's athletic department.
"This is the seventh year of the Burlsworth Trophy and once again we have a very strong group of nominees" said Marty Burlsworth, CEO and founder of the Burlsworth Foundation and older brother of Brandon. "All of these young men have worked extremely hard and have overcome tremendous obstacles to become the players they are today."
The Springdale (Ark.) Rotary Club will host an awards ceremony on Dec. 5 to honor the three finalists and to announce the 2016 winner.
